We purchased a foreclosed home with a swamp of a pool (no frogs, but definite larvae). Dark, dark, dark green, zero visibility. Last fall, we attempted to clean it, but the pool guy's advice was: "Throw a bucket of shock in, run the pump 'til it clears up. Maybe throw in another couple buckets of shock in a few days. It'll clean." Didn't work.
I found TFP and got some excellent advice (read all the FAQs and every post I could find on the subject), and I started the methodical cleaning 8 days ago. Prepped by removing any debris the skimmer could reach. It took three days of constant bleach chugging (about 50 bottles/day, testing every 30-60 minutes) to even hold a shock.
Day 1: The larvae died off, Day 2: A paler shade of green, Day 3: Shock and foam. Day 4 seemed to hold steady, still pretty foamy. Day 5, CYA registered at zero (was 30). I added dichlor, massive foaming ensued. Day 6, the green seemed lighter. The six inches of visibility was "clearer". Day 7, the same. Day 8... still the same.
This is my typical day:
5:30am: My husband is an early riser. He changes the filter.
8:00am: I change the filter. (The sun has not yet hit the pool.)
8-10am: Shock, brush, skim, filter cleaning, testing. Non-stop.
9:40am: Change the filter.
10-1, the baby is awake. The most I can do is a test or two (I somehow squeezed more in the first 3 days), chuck some jugs, and we usually have to run to find another store to clear out of their supply of bleach.
1:00pm: Change the filter. (Have I mentioned how much I hate changing the filter? I am not an unfit person, but this is hard work!)
1-3pm: Shock, brush, skim, filter cleaning, testing. Non-stop.
2:40pm: Change the filter.
3-5, baby is awake. See above.
5:00pm Husband is home, I change the filter.
5-7pm: Test and chlorinate as needed. The family has to eat sometime.
7:00pm: Change the filter.
I shock one more time before going to bed.
One post said that I should be able to see the bottom within 24 hours... Am I missing something here? I have two filter cartridges to lessen the down-time of the filter running (otherwise 24/7). In addition to my brushing, I employ the Kreepy Krawly for part of the day. I don't see the end of the tunnel, and I'm pretty sure that it would have been cheaper to buy a new liner (even though it was only two years old) and refill than to go through this process. (In addition, I occasionally use the 73% shock instead of bleach.) For the past two days (which have been cooler), the color has been more "very cloudy aquamarine" than "light green" in the evening, but in the morning after a good brush, a bunch of nastiness still comes up, and it seems that I'm two days back. The filters do seem "less green" as time goes on... although sometimes it is still full to where no water pushes through by the time I clean it.
I cannot give you any chemical readings right now. I have tested to shocking so frequently that I have run out of the chemical (Taylor K-2006 kit), and none of the local pool stores stock the replacement. (The CYA was 80 yesterday, up from zero after having added 6# of dichlor a few days previous.) What should I do to not lose ground until an online order can come through?
Thank you for any help. Any words of encouragement? I sure could use them!
I found TFP and got some excellent advice (read all the FAQs and every post I could find on the subject), and I started the methodical cleaning 8 days ago. Prepped by removing any debris the skimmer could reach. It took three days of constant bleach chugging (about 50 bottles/day, testing every 30-60 minutes) to even hold a shock.
Day 1: The larvae died off, Day 2: A paler shade of green, Day 3: Shock and foam. Day 4 seemed to hold steady, still pretty foamy. Day 5, CYA registered at zero (was 30). I added dichlor, massive foaming ensued. Day 6, the green seemed lighter. The six inches of visibility was "clearer". Day 7, the same. Day 8... still the same.
This is my typical day:
5:30am: My husband is an early riser. He changes the filter.
8:00am: I change the filter. (The sun has not yet hit the pool.)
8-10am: Shock, brush, skim, filter cleaning, testing. Non-stop.
9:40am: Change the filter.
10-1, the baby is awake. The most I can do is a test or two (I somehow squeezed more in the first 3 days), chuck some jugs, and we usually have to run to find another store to clear out of their supply of bleach.
1:00pm: Change the filter. (Have I mentioned how much I hate changing the filter? I am not an unfit person, but this is hard work!)
1-3pm: Shock, brush, skim, filter cleaning, testing. Non-stop.
2:40pm: Change the filter.
3-5, baby is awake. See above.
5:00pm Husband is home, I change the filter.
5-7pm: Test and chlorinate as needed. The family has to eat sometime.
7:00pm: Change the filter.
I shock one more time before going to bed.
One post said that I should be able to see the bottom within 24 hours... Am I missing something here? I have two filter cartridges to lessen the down-time of the filter running (otherwise 24/7). In addition to my brushing, I employ the Kreepy Krawly for part of the day. I don't see the end of the tunnel, and I'm pretty sure that it would have been cheaper to buy a new liner (even though it was only two years old) and refill than to go through this process. (In addition, I occasionally use the 73% shock instead of bleach.) For the past two days (which have been cooler), the color has been more "very cloudy aquamarine" than "light green" in the evening, but in the morning after a good brush, a bunch of nastiness still comes up, and it seems that I'm two days back. The filters do seem "less green" as time goes on... although sometimes it is still full to where no water pushes through by the time I clean it.
I cannot give you any chemical readings right now. I have tested to shocking so frequently that I have run out of the chemical (Taylor K-2006 kit), and none of the local pool stores stock the replacement. (The CYA was 80 yesterday, up from zero after having added 6# of dichlor a few days previous.) What should I do to not lose ground until an online order can come through?
Thank you for any help. Any words of encouragement? I sure could use them!